Cats

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Cats is based off of the popular broadway play. Normally, this would be the point where I would try and describe the basic plot of the film I review. In the case of Cats, that’s kind of hard because I’m not entirely convinced this film actually had a plot. This is a film that seems to just go from scene to scene without much of an actual throughline. I guess it’s kind of there, but it feels incredibly weak, at best. The film tries to have some humorous moments. None of them actually land. There’s this uncanny valley when it comes to the effects. Sometimes, they looked okay. Sometimes, they just looked horrifying. The acting is hit and miss. Some actors were alright. There were a couple of performances that surprised me. Those were that of Taylor Swift, Ian McKellen, and Judi Dench. In Swift’s case, it’s because she really wasn’t that bad. It helps that the movie honestly limits the singer’s role to her actual strengths. Dench and McKellen kind of gave off the opposite effect, especially Ian McKellen. He just feels completely lost throughout this thing. It is the first time I think I have seen him in a movie and felt that he was truly awful. I also have mixed feelings about the music. The songs are actually pretty good, but they pretty much come from the original broadway musical, so I can’t really count that as a positive in this film’s favor. I also have to mention the fact the dance sequences don’t feel nearly as impressive. It would be one thing if I saw the dancing performed by trained actors as opposed to CGI creations. Overall, Cats proves to be one of the most misguided and baffling bad movies of the year. 

3 / 10 

The Nightmare Before Christmas

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Jack Skellington is the pumpkin king, and he rules over Halloween. But, after years of doing the same thing every year, he begins to yearn for something difference. So, after he accidentally stumbles across Christmastown, he decides he wants to take Christmas for himself. There's a lot about this movie to love. The animation is awesome. I really appreciate how much time and effort goes into claymation. But, it goes deeper than that as well. The characters all have this distinct look to them that helps make them stand out. The music is quite catchy, even if I personally feel like a lot of the more Christmas-based music is some of the weaker music in the film, but it's still solid. The character's aren't super-deep, but they feel like they're as deep as they need to be. Since this is a kids' movie, I don't necessarily need them to be. This may not be one of my all-time favorites, but it's still an enjoyable movie with a distinct look that's worth a look by fans of off-kilter Christmas movies (as well as fans of Halloween) since this film can easily be watched on both holidays.

8 / 10 

The Lion King (2019)

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From a technical aspect, the remake of The Lion King is stunning. It’s beautiful to look at. Yet, the film just feels hollow, almost like an imitation of something better that came before. I think the Disney remake this reminded me of the most was Beauty and the Beast. Yeah, I didn’t really like this movie very much. Don’t get me wrong there are good things about the film. The voice actors do an admirable enough job. I’ve already mentioned the film’s visual effects. At the same time, I feel like the attempt to make the film look more realistic is also one of the film’s biggest hindrances. The original made the characters emote. You could understand what they were going through. Here, their faces are blank slates. What makes it even harder for me to feel any real attachment to this remake is that some of the original film’s biggest moments come across as though they have less weight and impact. The musical numbers feel restrained here, like they are being held back. The stampede scene doesn’t have the same ominous feeling because it lacks the scale and the shadows. For the first hour of the film, it’s just the original movie beat by beat. At that point, some changes come in. They’re fine, but they don’t really stand out too much. Now, I don’t normally like to compare a remake to its original. The problem is this film doesn’t do enough to stand out and be its own thing. The thing that makes it so strange is knowing how little this movie deviates, despite being a half hour longer. Overall, this isn’t the worst movie ever made, but it’s still pretty bad.

4 / 10 

Frozen 2

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Three years after the events of the first film, Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) begins hearing a voice calling out to her. When something begins to threaten the kingdom, she, Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell), Kristoff (voiced Jonathan Groff), Sven, and Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad) travel into an enchanted forest to find a way to save their kingdom. Once again, I really do have to compliment the animation and the voice actors. The characters actually feel like they are a little more evolved. Olaf is actually beginning to question things about existence. Now, I will say that it really is the stuff between Anna Elsa that works the best. Their relationship feels like it genuinely grown. A lot of the comedy actually worked for me. I appreciate that the film will take a minute to have some heart when it’s absolutely needed. As I dive into the things about the film I didn’t care for, know that I actually did enjoy this film. The music is a bit of a mixed bag. None of it is awful, but the weaker stuff is just kind of forgettable. Some of the story aspects didn’t always work for me either. I will give credit that the movie did subvert some of the story beats I expected it to deal with. It was interesting to me that this film didn’t really have a villain. The reason for me is because this almost feels like a story that would lend itself to having a central villain more than the first film. Overall, I think Frozen 2 will definitely work for kids. But, I think parents will actually like this film fine as well. It’s not as good as the first movie, but it’s still a decent flick. 

7 / 10 

High School Musical

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I already know you're asking yourself why I'm talking about High School Musical. Well, I watched it recently (for the first time since maybe 2007). Yes, I know this isn't some sort of masterpiece, nor would I expect it to be. It's a cheesy TV movie musical made for the Disney Channel. I don't really know how I'm going to be able to actually review this movie. The music is OK. Some of the songs are decently catchy (namely Stick to the Status Quo for me). A lot of the film's plot actually doesn't hold up to scrutiny. The closest I can come to describing this film's plot is that it's basically a watered-down version of Grease. It was incredibly easy to pick apart. One thing I never realized as a kid was the fact that pretty much everybody in this film is an asshole. 99% of the characters are just awful people that do mean, spiteful things to one another. Yet, I can't hate the movie for that. No. I don't even remotely know why. It doesn't really make any sense to me. Surprisingly, this isn't a movie that's given me a ton to say. High School Musical is just a cheesy Disney Channel Original Movie that shows up and does its thing. It's not really geared towards a man in his mid-20s. It's something of a guilty pleasure for me, and that's all I really needed it to be. I'm not going to assign this movie a rating simply because I don't really feel like I need to. 

Aladdin

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Aladdin is the newest in a long line of animated Disney movies to receive a live action remake. This may be the one I was the most curious about, as well as the most cautious. For those who may not know, the original Aladdin from 1992 is actually my favorite Disney movie, as well as one of my favorite movies of all time. So, this is a film that I think could have easily been a coin toss as to whether or not I liked it. OK, the final product is actually a movie I enjoyed. The film is legitimately well-acted, especially by Will Smith as the Genie and Naomi Scott as Jasmine. Will Smith as the Genie was something where I wasn't entirely sure how I would feel about it. Smith is one of my favorite actors, but the late, great Robin Williams is so linked to this character. I was also curious to see how Guy Ritchie did with directing this movie. In all honesty, his direction is fine. Some of weird quirks were a little distracting, and didn't feel like they added anything to the film. For the most part, I felt that the characters were in tact. However, there were two exceptions to this. Iago (voiced by Alan Tudyk) had lines here and there, but completely lacked personality. The same could be said of the Sultan (played by Navid Neghaban). I am far more likely to remember the lovable dimwit from the animated version than this version. The effects are a bit of mixed bag to me. There were points where I thought they worked well-enough, such as on the animals. On the other hand, some of the backgrounds were pretty noticeably fake. I know that my review for this movie has been pretty all over the place, but that also kind of mirrors my overall thoughts and feelings about this film. There is both a lot of good in this film and a lot of bad. Yes, I do think the good just barely outweighs the bad. It is enough for me to give this film a soft recommendation. Do I think you need to rush out and see this film? No. But, I would recommend renting it when it comes out on video.

6 / 10  

Bohemian Rhapsody

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Bohemian Rhapsody had a troubled production, to say the least. The idea for this movie started surfacing around 2010 and Freddie Mercury was to be played by Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen abandoned the film in 2013. In November 2016, Rami Malek was cast in the role. The movie went into production in September 2017, with Bryan Singer set to direct. Singer was ultimately fired and replaced by Dexter Fletcher. While I am happy that the movie we got wasn’t a complete disaster, I couldn’t help but find it kind of generic. Don’t get me wrong, there is some really good stuff in it. And this isn’t a bad or awful film by any means, but I don’t know if I can say it lives up to its full potential. Full disclosure, this is a movie I really wanted to love since Queen is one of my favorite bands of all time. This movie has been criticized for historical inaccuracies. I will be the first to admit that I don’t really know that much about the band’s behind the scenes history. The film is also a touch long, and the slower pace can make this movie show its teeth at times. Rami Malek practically embodies Freddie Mercury. It never really feels like I’m watching somebody play Mercury, so much as watching Mercury himself. Nowhere is this better showcased than in the film’s amazing concert sequences, especially the incredible Live Aid scene. For some, it might be distracting that they feel more like music videos. For me, that look and feel just sort of enhanced them In some respects, I wish there was more of them. There’s a point where a music executive for EMI says to something to the effect of: “Kids want a song they can turn up the volume with and bang their heads to. Bohemian Rhapsody is not that song.” When you realize the character who says that is played by Mike Myers, it just feels a little bit on the nose, and probably didn’t need to be in the movie at all. Some of Mercury’s personal life feels a little bit downplayed. Lucy Boynton is a talented actress, but she kind of feels wasted as Mercury’s girlfriend, and doesn’t really seem like she has anything to do. The movie doesn’t really do a whole lot to explore Mercury’s sexuality. My thoughts on Aiden Gillan as John Reid were fairly similar to my thoughts on Boynton’s performance. The man is a good actor, and does good with what he’s given, but he felt kind of wasted. Bohemian Rhapsody has probably been one of the most divisive movies of the year. The opinions seem to be all over the place, I fall somewhere in the middle. I don’t think it’s great, nor do I think it’s awful. 

5 / 10   

The Lion King

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The Lion King is a story everybody knows by now. This movie is seen as the height of the Disney Renaissance, and is, therefore, a landmark film by all accounts. I was curious because this was the first time I had seen the movie in about five years. This movie is almost 25 years old, and it still holds up remarkably well. The flaws (however few there are) were a little more noticeable when I looked at this movie with a more critical lens. Some of the characters had their voices swapped when it came time for that character to sing, and it could be jarring. That said, the animation is still excellent. The songs are just as catchy now as they were when I was a kid. It probably helps that I watched it with an audience that knew all of the songs. There is a sad scene in the movie that still hits me, even after all of these years. The humor still really works, especially when it easily could have come off as forced. Instead, it feels fairly natural. Scar is an amazing villain (and Jeremy Irons delivers a perfect performance). The same could easily be said of James Earl Jones as the voice of Mufasa. Despite minor noticeable flaws, this movie still holds up years later as one of Disney’s greatest efforts.

9 / 10 

Beauty and the Beast

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Beauty and the Beast is the latest of Disney’s live action remakes. It’s a well-known story. As the song goes: “Tale as old as time. Song as old as Rhyme.” A beautiful girl named Belle (played by Emma Watson) takes the place of her imprisoned father (played by Kevin Kline) in the castle of a beast (played by Dan Stevens). Over time, the two begin to fall in love. The beast was once a vain, handsome prince cursed to look as ugly on the outside as he was on the inside. He must find someone who loves him for who he is, and not what he looks like. Visually, this movie is amazing. The costumes and sets are fantastic. On the other hand, the CGI used for the beast didn’t look very good. Director Bill Condon shows some flair when directing the musical numbers. For the most part, the cast is great. The parts feel like they were perfectly cast. The best performances in the movie are Dan Stevens, Kevin Kline, and Luke Evans (playing Gaston).  Evans in particular is perfect as the pompous villain. He’s clearly having a ball in this movie. He is intimidating when he needs to be angry, but also laces it with some comedic elements as well. Now, I don’t want to take away from the voice performers either. As usual, Ian McKellen, Stanley Tucci, Emma Thompson, and Ewan McGregor give their all. That said, Audra MacDonald and Gugu Mbatha-Raw feel out of place. There are some deviations from the animated movie. For example, Gaston’s right hand man Le Fou (played by Josh Gad) is gay in this version. However, there aren’t enough deviations from the original movie that make me believe this movie can easily stand on its own. One thing I did notice was that the movie did drag quite a bit at times. The occasional song that was added into this movie just didn’t measure up to the songs that were carried over from the animated movie. Overall, I can’t help but feel this movie was a mixed bag at best. The story dragged out a bit too much, and felt far too familiar. The acting was good for the most, but felt spotty at times. The makeup, costumes, and sets were all good. The CGI was excellent on the household items, but looked awful on the beast. Chalk this up to a movie the critics liked that I just couldn’t get into.

5 / 10